Kallori

"Saamurai" was a remarkable movie. It stood testimony to the directorial abilities of Balaji Sakthivel. The movie, part of the vigilante band movie of that time and the one that was quite sensible too, wasn't something unexpected of a shankar's protege. In Kaadhal, a genuine attempt to capture a real rural love, balaji found a new love towards realism. Also looks he has fallen in to a trap. Or rather S films has trapped him in to make such formulaic movies. You can draw parallel to each and every frame of his latest venture Kalloori with that of Kaadhal. A citation could be the characterization of ramesh (the guy with the native slang and the witty onliners) is just another sort of the mechanic kid from kaadhal. But comparisons apart, the director has genuinely yet again ventured to capture life from yet another rural milieu. CAPTURE , is the keyword. Its almost like a candid camera stuff with each characters being as natural as possible. But what is the point in just capturing. Its like seeing on screen what you knew. Everyone knows there is a muthu, ramesh,kayal in every arts college and not necessary together as friends as much like in the movie. Movies, definitely ought ot be reflectionsof realitties. But no viewer goes yet again to see what he sees in real on screen to. What he ponders is if the movie helps him read between those realities and find some entertainment or enlightenment amidst such happenings. And thats the role of a story in a movie. And balaji fumbles big time in not having a solid story. Like my friend rightly commented "it's like seeing kana kaanum kaalangal on a big screen". Cut. To give a snapshot of the story. A group of friends after schooling, also have opportunity to share friendship by opting fr the same course at the local arts college. Also , a city bred girl out of circumstantial constraints is fored to take up the course. The girl though initialy feeling lost, slowly gels with the gang of friends and becomes very much a part of them. There in it is all about the small happiness, small fights, small tragedies that happen for them and among them. And the natural process of friendship turning to affection and wanting to turn to love. However there is a vigil in the form of one of the ever ethical , ever being politicaly correct friend. And henceforth the trauma of wanting to be in love, but being unable on counts of, whatelse again reality. Cut. So the story is definitely the one of beaten to death kind. Though balaji breaks the all cult exaggerated notions of student gimmicks, lousy professor kindof colleges shown in cinema for ages still creates his own cult of exaggeration. Like the duo character, which do evoke laughter but aint anything real. So balaji do falters in being consistently real. And there is no necessity to be consistently real at all. Also the college culturals are just like those mansion scenes (the ramp show) from kaadhal, trying to show them as real as possible only to get the audince wrath, for by then the CAPTURING concept goes a bit overboard. By this time there is so much realism, that you are wanting for some cinema ism in the movie. And comes bang the bastardly contrived climax. That makes u forget the feat (to take real people and picture them in reality) that the director managed to pull about the whole movie and hate him. Balaji saktivel, still does not convince us of having given a near perfect picture as much he has convinced us of his directorial abilites. But is that too much an ask.

PS:But, if there is one reason u need to watch this movie then it is tamanna. She is fantabulous, fitting the character to tee.Given the fact she is the most expereinced of the cast, plays true to her character and emotes excellently. It was a kind of revelation to watch her in some scenes. Say the one at bus stop, stopping to pick up muthu and yet not trying to pick him up. Undoubtedly shes quite fabulous too.